RIDING AFTER THE LOST COLONY
 |
 |
The Outer Banks of North Carolina are a narrow chain of islands with the
world’s largest freshwater sound on one side, and over a hundred miles of beach
facing the Atlantic Ocean on the other.
The history of English America began here with a mystery, when the first
colonists landed, built a settlement, and disappeared.
My journey to follow their traces began in February, in a snowy
Philadelphia where I had come to buy a folding bicycle (little more than half
the British price). Amtrak, the
national rail network, has awkward rules about carrying bikes, but this one
fitted into a suitcase which I planned to leave at Rocky Mount station,
inland. From there, I would ride and
explore a circuit of 350 miles or so to the Outer Banks, along the ocean road
and back.
Despite its name Rocky Mount is flat: not the most beautiful town in
America, but it must be one of the friendliest. From the Visitor Centre in the station, to the baggage handling
man, to the local bike shop, everyone put themselves out to help: phoning
round, bending rules, even lending me tools and giving me bike parts free of
charge.
The new Route 64 has bypassed most of the towns heading east, leaving
the old road as a quieter alternative.
Beyond the suburbs and the trailer parks, cotton fluff on the verges
gave the only clue to the crop grown here.
A state law apparently forbids the use of elephants to plough cotton
fields, and I can’t say I saw anyone breaking it.
Tarboro, 14 miles east, was a real discovery. It was chartered in 1760 with a town common which remains at the
heart of its historic district today.
All around it stand “the grand old ladies”, 45 blocks of beautifully
preserved and restored houses built in the 19th and early 20th
centuries.
The Blount-Bridgers house, built around 1808 looks down on them all from
the highest point in the town. It
houses an art collection and is open to the public. Inside, I met Carol Banks who moved to Tarboro from Kent in 1986,
when her husband was offered a job nearby. At first, she was not allowed to work, so she became a volunteer
and is now employed as guide and curator.
“I’ve fallen in love with this country: the people, the lifestyle, the weather – apart from the humidity in July and August. Visitors ask me how we put up with it, and I say we have air conditioning and we get used to it.”
She and her husband now own one of the historic houses, built in 1870 by
the Palamountains from Devon.
Does she miss anything about England?
“Not the small houses. English
food I miss sometimes, English pubs, and tea.
It took me a while to get used to things, like different meanings of
certain words. I’ll never forget the
old gentleman who asked me: ‘do you shag?’”
By mid afternoon, I had covered 50 miles or so and was starting to feel
the heat, with the temperature in the 70s.
A group of turkey vultures decided I looked more interesting than the
carcass they were devouring: they followed me for a couple of miles, circling
overhead.
There are several bird reserves along this route, and as the human
population thinned further east, the number and range of species
increased. The brightest of them all,
scarlet with a plumed head, is the state bird, the northern cardinal.
Heading out of Columbia on the second day, towards the Alligator River
Wildlife Reserve, I passed signs warning of black bears and red wolves, for
drivers who might hit them, and cyclists who might supplement their diet. A chorus of frogs announced the transition
to evergreen swamp land. Invisible
creatures rustled through the trees on either side, and in a clearing I passed
the torn carcass of a deer. Families of
turtles dived into the roadside ditch as I approached. I was concentrating on the banks, so I
didn’t notice the large black dog on the road in front of me.
Then I saw its legs were thicker than a dog’s, and its back was arched
in a strange way. Braking suddenly, I
realised I was facing a bear, and more importantly, it was facing me. Not having a gun, I reached for the next
best thing: my camera, and of course, by the time I found it, he had gone.
A couple of pelicans escorted me over the 5-mile bridge onto Roanoke
Island. I had cycled 150 miles in two
days and reckoned I deserved a rest.
The island’s main town, Manteo, was named after a Croatoan Indian who
sailed to England with the first explorers, and returned to help the first
colonists. Downtown Manteo is a
gem. Clustered around its waterfront
are coffee houses, craft shops, restaurants, a 70-year-old cinema and a
bookshop with armchairs and no pressure to buy. All of these are housed in carefully restored old buildings, or
sensitively designed new ones.
The Cameron House Inn,
where I stayed for 3 nights, was built of wood in 1919 as the town hall. After nights in towns with only bypass
motels it was wonderful to have everything in walking distance, even (I’ll
admit to missing this) a pub serving English real ale.
June O’Rourke came from London in 1965, married, and settled in Manteo
25 years ago. “This is a lovely area to
live,” she told me, “people are so generous.”
Like many of the locals, she and her husband have stayed on the island
during hurricane evacuations. She
remembers hurricane Isabel in 2003: “I was here at home, listening to the rows
of pine trees, snapping one after the other.”
Roanoke lies behind the main islands, surrounded by the Albermarle and
Croatan sounds. At its northern end lie
the remains of the settlement created by the first colonists. 117 of them under governor designate John
White, landed here in 1587. White’s daughter
gave birth shortly after to Virginia Dare, celebrated ever since as the first
English child born in America.
Roanoke was not their intended destination. They were already short of supplies. White reluctantly agreed to return to England for assistance,
while the others, including his daughter and granddaughter, planned to split,
leaving a small group on Roanoke.
Storms, pirates and war with Spain delayed White’s return until 1590,
when he found the settlement deserted with one word carved on a tree: Croatoan
(Hatteras Island today).
The car park was empty in the late afternoon. I found the site in a clearing in the woods, stepped into the
earthwork circle and listened to the ocean.
What became of the ‘lost colonists’ intrigued and inspired many who followed. According to local legend, Virginia Dare
grew up with the Croatoan Indians.
Pursued by two lovers she turned into a white doe, which still haunts
the woods of Hatteras Island today.
Since 1937 a symphonic drama, The Lost Colony, has been performed
nightly here every summer in the outdoor theatre facing the ocean.
There is a simple visitor centre on the site. The Festival Park on the other side of the island includes an
adventure museum and Elizabeth II, a replica ship built for the 400th
anniversary of the settlement.
Another long bridge runs from Roanoke to Bodie Island. Its three interlinking settlements of Nags
Head, Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk are booming holiday resorts. Large wooden houses for rent or sale
(typical price $1.7m) are under construction everywhere within the town
limits. Every conceivable activity is
possible here in season, from golf to charter fishing to shipwreck diving. There is even a ‘resort’ for pets.
A monument and two visitor centres commemorate man’s first powered
flight at Kill Devil Hills in 1903. I
never knew Orville and Wilbur Wright ran a bicycle shop: their flying machine
was partly built of bicycle parts. The
monument stands on the only hill in whole area, with a panorama over the towns
to the ocean and the Albermarle Sound.
A cycle lane runs beside the only road heading south, crossing another
bridge to Hatteras Island with its National Wildlife Reserve. You won’t find bears or wolves here, but you
may see hundreds of bird species through the telescopes set up in the visitor
centre, and even from the road.
At Rodanthe, the next town, I met four Carolinian cyclists, who told me
how much they liked England and invited me to dine with them in Buxton that
evening. They insisted on paying my
bill and gave me some miniature whiskies for the road.
Rocky Rawlinson Road in Buxton is a quiet residential street leading to
an inlet on the Pamlico Sound. Here,
between shrubs and trees, now covered over, archaeologists in the 1990s
unearthed remains of a Croatoan Indian settlement, and within it, fragments of
European artefacts. Their most exciting
find was a ring owned by one of the lost colonists. A traveller who met the Croatoan in 1701 wrote:
“These tell us that several of their ancestors were white people and
could talk from a book [read] as we do, the truth of which is confirmed by gray
eyes being found frequently among these Indians and no others.”
All traces of Croatoan culture disappeared by the end of the 18th
Century, but in the tri-racial mix of people on the island, descendants of the
lost colonists may yet live on.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse at Buxton was built in 1870, comfortably
inland, but over time the coastline has receded. The solution, in 1999 was to move it on rails 1600 feet. From the beach you can still see the old
site, the lighthouse, and the path between the two. A visitor centre tells the story, and in season, you can climb to
the top of the lighthouse.
A free ferry connects Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. A pod of dolphins followed us part of the
way. I tried to share my excitement
with my neighbour. “Oh yeah,” he said,
“we get a lot of them here.”
The top of Ocracoke Island is narrow, with breaks in the dunes giving
views over the ocean on one side, and the sound on the other.
From the picturesque harbour at Ocracoke Village, I took the early
morning ferry; two and a half hours back to the mainland. Bath, a village 50 miles or so west of the
ferry port, is a national historic site.
Its Main Street, with houses from the colonial and federalist periods,
runs along the banks of a creek to a point from where, on stormy nights, you
can see strange lights associated with Bath’s most notorious resident: the
pirate, Blackbeard.
I stayed for two nights at The Inn on Bath Creek, a rare new house,
built entirely in keeping with the historic ones around it. I had had covered 270 miles, leaving myself
just one day to ride the 75 miles back to Rocky Mount. Ten days for the trip was much too short – a
good excuse to return before too long.
Bath celebrates its tricentennial this year. The oldest town in North Carolina, it was created in 1705, which
was nearly a century after Jamestown Virginia.
But in the friendly rivalry between the two states, Carolinians may
remind their neighbours who came first.
(1884 words)
YOUR CUT-OUT AND KEEP GUIDE TO THE OUTER & INNER
BANKS OF NORTH CAROLINA
When to Go
Winters are milder and sunnier than southern England, with some glorious
days in February – great for a quiet break.
Enough accommodation and eating-places remain open, but some attractions
are seasonal.
The hurricane season is June to November, though the risk is greatest
from August to early October. July and
August are hot, sticky, crowded and expensive, so April to June and late Autumn
are best. Average daytime highs are 70o
F in April, 64o F in November.
Getting There
American Airways flies daily direct from Gatwick to Raleigh-Durham (200
miles from Manteo). Typical return
flights cost £280 in April, £572 in August (www.americanairlines.co.uk). Indirect flights from Glasgow and Manchester
are a little more expensive.
There is no public transport on or to the Outer Banks, so unless you are
into long-distance cycling, you will need to hire a car. Raleigh-Durham airport has most of the main
companies. Budget (www.budget.co.uk) charge £135 a week for a
group B (Chevrolet Cavalier 2.2 litres).
Seeing There
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (Roanoke Island)
Open all year. Free Admission. For more on the history of the lost colony see: www.nps.gov/fora/roanokerev.htm.
Festival Park (Roanoke Island)
Open February 18th
– December 22nd. Attraction Pass,
covering festival park, Elizabeth II replica ship, NC Aquarium and Elizabethan
Gardens costs $17 (adults), $8.25 (children).
www.roanokeisland.com.
The Lost Colony Symphonic Drama (Roanoke Island)
Monday to Saturday,
June 3rd – August 19th.
$16 adults – various concessions.
(252) 473-3414. www.thelostcolony.org.
Wright Brothers
National Memorial (Kill Devil Hills)
Open 9 – 5 winter, 9 –
6 summer. $3 for adults. Free for children. (252) 441 7430.
www.nps.gov/wrbr
Cape Hatteras
Lighthouse (Buxton)
Visitor Centre open
all year. 9am – 5pm. www.nps.gov/caha.
Bath Tricentennial Celebrations
From February to
December. www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/Sections/HS/bath/events.htm
Staying There
The Outer Banks have an enormous range of accommodation, though prices,
particularly in summer, are comparatively high. The Inner Banks (the mainland coast along the sounds) are
generally less expensive.
For families, rental “cottages” (wooden houses of any size) are often
best value, starting from around $400 a week off-season. Ask about hurricane insurance for summer or
autumn.
B&Bs are generally
larger and more luxurious than their British equivalents. 2 of the better ones are:
Cameron House Inn
(Manteo)
$120 - $210 a
night. (252) 473 5619. www.cameronhouseinn.com
The Inn on Bath Creek
$80 - $90 a
night. (252) 923 9571. www.innonbathcreek.com
For an ocean-front
motel built in the traditional wooden style:
Lighthouse View
Motel (Buxton)
$69 - $308 a
night. (252) 995 5680. www.lighthouseview.com
For those travelling
on a lower budget there are several campsites and:
Outer Banks International Hostel
$17 - $20 a night for
dormitory beds. (252) 261 2294. www.outerbankshostel.com
Note, all prices are
per room and generally exclude 7.5% tax.
For accommodation
lists and general information:
Outer Banks Visitor
Bureau (252) 923 3971. www.outerbanks.org
Tarboro-Edgecombe
Chamber of Commerce (252) 823 7241. www.tarborochamber.com/lodging.htm
Historic Bath (252)
923 3971. www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hs/bath/bath.htm
Eating There
Again, the area has a
huge range of all types.
Kelly’s Outer Banks
Restaurant & Tavern (Nags Head)
AAA 3 star dining,
also live entertainment all year round.
(252) 441 4116. www.kellysrestaurant.com
Poor Richard’s
Sandwich Shop (Manteo)
A good place for
sandwiches, ‘subs’ and lighter meals.
(252) 473 3333
Green Dolphin Pub
(Manteo)
A down-to-earth pub serving draft Bass. (252) 473 5911
Harbor Street Grille (Washington NC)
Carolinas and Cajun specialities, reasonably priced. (252) 975 4750 www.harborstreetgrille.com
Shopping There
Duck and Corolla at
the northern end of Bodie Island have been described as “a shopper’s best
friend and a budget’s nemesis” – particularly for upmarket clothing. For the more price-conscious:
Tanger Outlet (Nags Head) sells designer brands at
reduced prices. (252) 441 7395. www.tangeroutlet.com
Downtown Manteo is a
pleasure to browse for crafts and:
Manteo Booksellers (252) 473 1221. www.manteobooksellers.com.
NB, for folding bicycles:
Trophy Bikes
(Philadelphia) 3131 Walnut
Street, (215) 222 2020. www.trophybikes.com
(632 words)